Freeway distance

[Badfella]

So I recently bought a banger pickup and looking for some advice on distance freeway driving. I live in San Diego and most of the good shows are 100 miles or more to the north. I've had a couple bangers in the past but only cruised surface streets and never any distance.

My current setup: 6.1 head, "mild cam", electronic ignition, single 94, Reds 4 into 2 with 2" straight pipes, lightened V8 flywheel, '39 trans and 3.78 geared stock rear. It seems to be long-legged enough but don't want to blow it just the same.

Also, on a side note. I'm trying to ID the electronic ignition. It looks like a standard dizzy on more modern engines with what appears to be 5 places to run plug wires (5th capped off). How do you set the timing on these without marks on pulley? If anyone has a quick cheat sheet it would be much appreciated. I have a feeling it's a bit advanced.

Thanks much!

[Dave in MN]

The trouble with what you are trying to do...run at freeway speeds for a long distance...may damage your exhaust valves. You will build up a lot of heat at the exhaust valves if you push it hard and long.
I burned up two exhaust valves on cylinder #4 trying to do the same. The #4 valve had the deepest valve seat and the valve sat down almost flush with the top of the block. This was the weakest point and it showed...twice!
I built a special engine to give me the power to run at highway speeds for long distances but I installed a 26% overdrive to reduce engine rpm and exhaust valve temp.
Have you had the head off to inspect the condition of the valves?
Be carefull to not over advance the timing. Most engine builders will tell you not to set your advance above 28 degrees.
Dave in MN
www.durableperformance.net

[Badfella]

Great info Dave! I haven't inspected the valves but noticed that either 1 or 4 have a miss while 2 and 3 run smoothly. Ionly know this because of the Reds duals. All plugs are burning even and no loss of power and no smoke, just an annoying miss from the one pipe. I was thinking of timing but not sure how to retard/advance these motors since no handle on the column. Should I just move the distributor like all other cars?

[Badfella]

Then again, timing would affect all cylinders

[Badfella]

Any other ideas for my miss symptom? What symptoms accompany a burnt exhaust valve? Sorry for the flood of questions!

[Jason in TX]

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Good lord. Sounds like you've got a great machine there! Drive it an enjoy. When it breaks, that is what tow trucks are for!

Here is the "cheat sheet" you requested for timing the Model A.
http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/timing.htm

Setting top dead center involves pulling the timing pin on the front of the engine and turning it around.

You don't just move the distributor. You actually pull the rotor off, loosen the screw below the rotor and adjust that way. If you post a pic of the distributor with the cap off, we should be able to ID.

Welcome to the hobby. It really sounds like you've got a great car there! PM me if you need some additional help, but it sounds like you are doing ok. Those 4 into 2 mufflers really accentuate the misses when the original set up occasionally had a miss anyways.

[MrTube]

Originally Posted by Jason in TX

Good lord. Sounds like you've got a great machine there! Drive it an enjoy. When it breaks, that is what tow trucks are for!
.

Said like a true Ford man!

Sorry, I had to.

[Badfella]

Thanks much Jason! I'll grab a pic tonight after work and post it. The car seems to have good enough power, just an annoying miss out of the one pipe. It's been 4-5 years since my last banger and kinda remember missing being part of the cycle but wasn't sure. If you ignore the miss out of the pipe and stare at the engine it seems smooth with no noises or anything. I was actually wondering if the duals pronounced it more than normal since it divides it up. Just weird it's only #1 or 4 doing it. If I had a burnt exhaust valve would it still run that smooth and rev nicely?

[Jason in TX]

You can always lap the valves, but that involves pulling the head, side cover, valve springs, etc. I'm not standing there listening to it, so I don't know how severe it is. If you are going to race it, measuring times down to the hundredth of a second, you would definitely want to correct that. If you just want to drive 100 miles to a show, I think you aren't going to break anything.

[MrTube]

When I was a kid I remember riding in my dads 1970 chevy c-20 truck that I believe had a cracked valve. It would shake some idling (was an Oldsmobile 260 V8) but it ran fine under load. He drove it for months to work and on trips before getting the heads done only to have it happen again down the road due to a fine crack in the intake manifold he had missed.

Point being it went probably thousands of miles with a damaged valve and no problems. Later down the road he rebuilt the engine and of course replaced the intake.

[Badfella]

Thanks guys, I'm not stressing too much over it mainly curious. I was also wondering if the supposed "mild" cam and HC head might add to the rowdy exhaust

[Jason in TX]

Originally Posted by MrTube

Said like a true Ford man!
Sorry, I had to.

Haha!

[Logan]

The distrubutor sounds like an FS electronic ignition conversion. It's a very nice set up, I have one on our sedan, and most likely going to buy one for the coupe soon. Here is a link to their website so you can see if it's the same one.

http://www.fsignitions.com/

To set the timing i would order one of the timing kits from the suppliers, it comes so that you can time it with a timing light. If your car is still six volts, you can power the light with a separate 12 volt battery from a different car. Here is a link to find a timing kit.

http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/1408

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Incomplete info: what brand & type of dist, 5 towers & a rubber cap on 1 tower???????? Probably a vent cap that lets condensation out, but not in, or an Audi 5 cyl cap--LOL.
Lots of confusion!! Do some answer without reading the thread closely?? (Or are some drinking Vino?) Bill W.

[gilitos]

Slight valve leaks can contribute to a miss at low idle RPM's, when there is time for compression leakage to occur. But as soon as you're a bit off idle, there's no time for leakdown, compression is good, and the motor runs okay. How many of you have taken a car that was missing at idle due to leaky valve(s), did a valve job that cured the rough idle, but saw no noticeable difference in highway performance or gas mileage? Not to say you shouldn't do a valve job, but it seems to mainly affect idle, not normal RPM running (unless valves are REALLY bad).

[Badfella]

So I checked out the distributor this weekend and definitely electronic. Looks like an early Pertronix model. Both cap and body have Per Lux on them. Anyone else running one or have info?

[columbiA]

If the running gear is restored properly,your"A" should get you there & back wether you are going 10 miles or 10,000 miles.As for cruising speed,my overdrive & 5.9 head allows 60 mph with low rpm.

[RUNNERBUN]

Driving long distances will not wreck your motor. I have done several big trips over 7000 km each, the longest being 13500 km (that's about 8400 mls) over an eight week period. What will wreck you motor is driving it beyond it's capabilities. Just listen to your motor, it will tell you what speed it is happy at. The way I look at it a long trip is just a lot of short trips put together. Drive it with respect for it's age and it will serve you well.
For the record, I'm running a standard "B" motor without any modifications other than running on 12 volt electricks and FS electronic ignition.